Another article used the example below to describe a Fishbone Diagram…

  Now that you understand what a Fishbone Diagram looks like and how you might draw one, let’s review the pros and cons of the technique when it is used for root cause analysis.

Fishbone Diagram “Pros”

First, let’s review the pros of using Fishbone Diagrams for root cause analysis. Let’s start with the fact that a Fishbone Diagram is fairly easy to use. Like 5-Whys and Brainstorming (which can be used to develop the “bones”) the technique is simple to learn and apply. Next, the technique is visual. It is easy to see what the investigator sees as the main problem (the head of the fish), the major factors influencing performance (the main bones attached to the spine), and the potential causes (the minor bones). the Fishbone Diagram provides a relatively easy to understand diagram of the cause and effect relationship that the investigator wants to communicate. Also, Fishbone Diagrams have a long history of over 50 years of use. It certainly was one of the original techniques developed to help problem solvers understand the causes of a problem. Finally, many claim that it is an effective root cause analysis tool.

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